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Backstory question
Chapter 12 leads you into the general assumption that the big bad of VO is intended to be this shadow splinter of Itani fundamentalist militants (The Order of Akan) rather than the "hive". In fact the "Hive" is not mentioned at all in the 12 chapters of history. Which is weird.
What happened to the Order of Akan plot? Was there a technical reason that the game seems to not make any note of them in gameplay but the written history has them as a major player in instigating the current Serco / Itani conflict?
Seems like this issue has been tossed around for the last 10 years so it's strange that it's not addressed on something less fluid than the forums, where official answers can stick out above all the noise.
It's almost like there needs to be a retcon of the last 3 chapters to insert the hive presence and issues arising from that. Then an additional chapter making some excuse as to why at the current time period nobody is talking about The Order of Akan in the game, or investigating how they infiltrate nation borders undetected and seem to have a home base off the known wormhole network.
What happened to the Order of Akan plot? Was there a technical reason that the game seems to not make any note of them in gameplay but the written history has them as a major player in instigating the current Serco / Itani conflict?
Seems like this issue has been tossed around for the last 10 years so it's strange that it's not addressed on something less fluid than the forums, where official answers can stick out above all the noise.
It's almost like there needs to be a retcon of the last 3 chapters to insert the hive presence and issues arising from that. Then an additional chapter making some excuse as to why at the current time period nobody is talking about The Order of Akan in the game, or investigating how they infiltrate nation borders undetected and seem to have a home base off the known wormhole network.
I'm pretty sure there are missions that at least reference them. I don't actually do very many missions though.
I'm pretty sure the hive isn't mentioned in the backstory because they're relatively new backstory wise. In the collector bot missions you and your faction supposedly learn about them for the first time story wise. The order of Akan just hasn't been implemented yet, but I'm sure the pcc could make some cool missions involving them, and the universe is gonna get bigger eventually. We might be able to find their hidden base after the universe expansion.
VO doesn't have a plot, and the backstory doesn't really have any relevance to the game besides giving a basic understanding of where everything is, who the major players are, and kinda sorta why the faction system is how it is.
If you want an actual storyline, try EVN or Skyrim or something that's not Quake in Space. Hell, even Quake had more backstory implemented into the game than VO.
If you want an actual storyline, try EVN or Skyrim or something that's not Quake in Space. Hell, even Quake had more backstory implemented into the game than VO.
considering that the backstore was written 12 years ago and the timeline puts VO universe smack dab in the middle of figuring out that there is a fundementalist faction working outside of Itani mainstream playing both sides to start the war. It makes absolutely no sense that most of the missions and gameplay involve the Hive but not any significant Akan element.
Rather than stupid ion storms that really dont make any physical sense or have any even vaguely sci-fi analogue in reality, they should and could easily be replaced by NPC Order of Akan incursions. Impersonating ships that have no business being hostile against players. Randomly spawned in numbers dependent on the number of active players in the game or so.
I just thought it very strange that either
A. nobody has had time to update the storyline in 12 years to fix what has obviously changed as far as the direction of VO
or B. there hasn't been a significant Akan presence via NPC missions that can bring conflict deep in nation spaces and elsewhere, completely independent of hostile bots.
Rather than stupid ion storms that really dont make any physical sense or have any even vaguely sci-fi analogue in reality, they should and could easily be replaced by NPC Order of Akan incursions. Impersonating ships that have no business being hostile against players. Randomly spawned in numbers dependent on the number of active players in the game or so.
I just thought it very strange that either
A. nobody has had time to update the storyline in 12 years to fix what has obviously changed as far as the direction of VO
or B. there hasn't been a significant Akan presence via NPC missions that can bring conflict deep in nation spaces and elsewhere, completely independent of hostile bots.
GS has apparently been too busy putting out fires and staying in business to actually make the game they wanted to make. Hard to fault them for that, but doesn't change the fact that VO's got no plot and nothing worth doing aside from combat. Which is great, but an MMORPG that's neither massive nor an RPG is...not very appealing.
Ion Storms were added as a pure gameplay mechanic after launch, to try and quickly create a more uncertain and dynamic type of conflict in the (vastly expanded) universe. It didn't work very well. I don't like the storms either, as I've written about at some length. However, my plan to replace them is.. involved, and ended up requiring a lot of engine changes to do properly. Which is part of what we're doing now.
Things are obviously not what we hoped to achieve in 12 years. Everything sure takes forever when you have few people working on (and running, and supporting) something huge, with a lot of financial uncertainty. The best I can say is that we're still trying to get there, and things are actually.. going quite well lately. But it's not that externally evident yet.
Things are obviously not what we hoped to achieve in 12 years. Everything sure takes forever when you have few people working on (and running, and supporting) something huge, with a lot of financial uncertainty. The best I can say is that we're still trying to get there, and things are actually.. going quite well lately. But it's not that externally evident yet.
Ion storms actually first struck me as an anti-botting mechanic. But if they are they're terribly ineffective :P
Terribly ineffective? Sounds like we have a self-confessed cheater lurking.
cellsafemode, you ask good questions, but make some incorrect assumptions.
There are missions in game right now that reference the Order of Akan. I recommend playing this tree if you want to find out more. It has an absolute length of 9 missions but because there are branching choices and some condition-dependent alternative cases, it involves more than 50 interconnected missions, some of which were written by Pizzasgood, and it is still being added to. At least "Doomsday Clock", "Enemy At The Gates", "Diamond in the Rough", "A Swarm of Seekers", and "Degrees of Integration" deal with the Akanese. There may be others.
The thing is, Incarnate has given pretty specific directions to the PCC re: what is okay to write about and what is not. Most things are treated from the perspective of rumor, which I think makes for a more engaging gameplay experience. Most things in life are seldom tangible: even visible light is only a tiny, tiny fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum. How many rumored shadow organizations that carry out military surgical strikes can you go out and find wandering around in plain sight on a regular stroll, clearly marked? None.
I also find it interesting that the backstory makes no mention of the Hive, but guess what: I've helped develop a mission tree based on this also. Keep in mind the backstory is an example of traditional literature, compiled by generations of Itani monks. It also seems to be designed to teach a moral lesson, so in a sense it can be considered a morality play. I find the existence of the Hives are not very important to the main thrust of the text we call the backstory, regardless of when they arose, even if they are the larger existential threat. The fact that the backstory makes no mention of the Hive is in itself telling, and yes, I've written a mission sequence on this also, involving missing pages from an Itani codex intricately involving the Hive.
Again, I have to be careful here, because there are clear directions on what is fair game to mission writers (more in the sense of what "attitude" to take when approaching a project), however I think I've made my point: there is more going on in VO's world than meets the eye. Some of the things you emphasize that should be in the game... are.
Finally, as someone who has been a regular player since 2003 and has witnessed some pretty drastic changes, I'll offer the caveat that all this is subject to change. Heraclitus: "everything flows".
There are missions in game right now that reference the Order of Akan. I recommend playing this tree if you want to find out more. It has an absolute length of 9 missions but because there are branching choices and some condition-dependent alternative cases, it involves more than 50 interconnected missions, some of which were written by Pizzasgood, and it is still being added to. At least "Doomsday Clock", "Enemy At The Gates", "Diamond in the Rough", "A Swarm of Seekers", and "Degrees of Integration" deal with the Akanese. There may be others.
The thing is, Incarnate has given pretty specific directions to the PCC re: what is okay to write about and what is not. Most things are treated from the perspective of rumor, which I think makes for a more engaging gameplay experience. Most things in life are seldom tangible: even visible light is only a tiny, tiny fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum. How many rumored shadow organizations that carry out military surgical strikes can you go out and find wandering around in plain sight on a regular stroll, clearly marked? None.
I also find it interesting that the backstory makes no mention of the Hive, but guess what: I've helped develop a mission tree based on this also. Keep in mind the backstory is an example of traditional literature, compiled by generations of Itani monks. It also seems to be designed to teach a moral lesson, so in a sense it can be considered a morality play. I find the existence of the Hives are not very important to the main thrust of the text we call the backstory, regardless of when they arose, even if they are the larger existential threat. The fact that the backstory makes no mention of the Hive is in itself telling, and yes, I've written a mission sequence on this also, involving missing pages from an Itani codex intricately involving the Hive.
Again, I have to be careful here, because there are clear directions on what is fair game to mission writers (more in the sense of what "attitude" to take when approaching a project), however I think I've made my point: there is more going on in VO's world than meets the eye. Some of the things you emphasize that should be in the game... are.
Finally, as someone who has been a regular player since 2003 and has witnessed some pretty drastic changes, I'll offer the caveat that all this is subject to change. Heraclitus: "everything flows".
well my position coming from the narrative was that based on what was going on leading up to the current year VO is supposed to be taking place from, the Order of Akan isn't something someone has to seek out. They are actively terrorising both nations ...at random.. and running off after destroying things. It shouldn't be a mission tree the player has to request but rather act more like ion storms (and should exist in place of them) in that randomly throughout the week an akan attack will occur in systems.
The missions involved in them that the player takes should have something to do with discovering where they are and how they're infiltrating nation defenses to attack anywhere and escape. That's the feel you get reading the narrative.
That's the only reason why i started the thread was to ask those that made the decisions, or maybe anyone who knows personally, if the departure from the narrative was intentional due to technical feasibility or if the narrative is just missing a ton of content and needs to be retconned due to new directions over the last decade.
The missions involved in them that the player takes should have something to do with discovering where they are and how they're infiltrating nation defenses to attack anywhere and escape. That's the feel you get reading the narrative.
That's the only reason why i started the thread was to ask those that made the decisions, or maybe anyone who knows personally, if the departure from the narrative was intentional due to technical feasibility or if the narrative is just missing a ton of content and needs to be retconned due to new directions over the last decade.
That's the only reason why i started the thread was to ask those that made the decisions, or maybe anyone who knows personally, if the departure from the narrative was intentional due to technical feasibility or if the narrative is just missing a ton of content and needs to be retconned due to new directions over the last decade.
It's mostly a development resource-availability thing. I had specific goals for the Order of Akan at launch, and those are still in-mind. Also, the backstory I wrote in 2002 represented "present-day" that was attached to that particular point in time. The hive literally evolved since that time (or, more accurately, became more of a well-known presence). So it doesn't have to be retconned, it just isn't an up-to-date history.
It was always a goal to make the backstory a living tapestry of the game itself, potentially including player and guild influence that was noteworthy enough to have a permanent place in the history of the galaxy. But, like a lot of things, that requires my.. time. Which is spread very thin.
It's mostly a development resource-availability thing. I had specific goals for the Order of Akan at launch, and those are still in-mind. Also, the backstory I wrote in 2002 represented "present-day" that was attached to that particular point in time. The hive literally evolved since that time (or, more accurately, became more of a well-known presence). So it doesn't have to be retconned, it just isn't an up-to-date history.
It was always a goal to make the backstory a living tapestry of the game itself, potentially including player and guild influence that was noteworthy enough to have a permanent place in the history of the galaxy. But, like a lot of things, that requires my.. time. Which is spread very thin.
You don't think there is a large militarized Itani presence terrorizing the universe?
ok then.... :)
ok then.... :)
Not a very competent militarized presence if you're referring to [itan].
Also , I wouldn't think the Order of Akan could be considered Itani in the sense that they're a highly fundamentalist faction that has evolved away from what we currently consider Itani people in culture and beliefs. They wouldn't only terrorize Serco space and grey, but Itan space too because they want the war. They need it to convince the Itani people that their way is the only way they can live safely and to be a true Itani. So they attack Itani space dressed as Serco to undermine the teachings and governance of mainstream Itani and attack Serco space as Itani to fuel their mistrust and hatred and watch the dominos fall.
I'd see them more as a shadow faction moving chess pieces around, instigating battles all to keep peace from ever happening. Their direct connection to which never being provable.
Also , I wouldn't think the Order of Akan could be considered Itani in the sense that they're a highly fundamentalist faction that has evolved away from what we currently consider Itani people in culture and beliefs. They wouldn't only terrorize Serco space and grey, but Itan space too because they want the war. They need it to convince the Itani people that their way is the only way they can live safely and to be a true Itani. So they attack Itani space dressed as Serco to undermine the teachings and governance of mainstream Itani and attack Serco space as Itani to fuel their mistrust and hatred and watch the dominos fall.
I'd see them more as a shadow faction moving chess pieces around, instigating battles all to keep peace from ever happening. Their direct connection to which never being provable.